Exploring New ReligionsBloomsbury Publishing, 1999 M12 1 - 416 pages An objective, well-researched history of contemporary new religions and cults.New religious movements - popularly known as cults - arouse strong public opinion and most books on the subject are polemical, giving hostile reaction rather than informed exploration. Exploring New Religions provides an account of a wide variety of new religions, focusing on their origins, beliefs and practices, which are set out in a dispassionate way, leaving readers to form their own value judgements. George Chryssides provides important analysis of the killer cults-the Jonestown People's Temple, Waco, the Solar Temple and Heaven's Gate-examining the factors that made their followers willing to die for their cause. Older groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are discussed, and Chryssides traces the development of a variety of strands of spirituality, ranging from New Thought, Spiritualism and Theosophy. Subsequent chapters include the Baha'i, the Family (formerly Children of God), the Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON), the Jesus Army, the Rastafarians, the Church of Scientology, Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the Unification Church ('the Moonies'). Lower profile groups are also discussed including: EST (Erhard Seminar Training), the New Kadampa Tradition, Brahma Kumaris, Sai Baba, Subud and the Western Buddhist Order. A study of the New Age phenomenon, and an account of societal responses to new religions at religious, societal and political levels is also included. |
From inside the book
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Page 22
... critics who accused them of drunken babbling were hearing something like the sounds one hears in Pentecostalist worship . Since sound - recording is a recent invention , we have no way of establishing whether glossolaliation has a long ...
... critics who accused them of drunken babbling were hearing something like the sounds one hears in Pentecostalist worship . Since sound - recording is a recent invention , we have no way of establishing whether glossolaliation has a long ...
Page 23
... critics , the term ' destructive cult ' has sometimes been used as a label for new religious movements . Thus Eli Shapiro ( 1977 ) itemizes several features which are supposedly characteristic of the ' destruc- tive cult ' : total ...
... critics , the term ' destructive cult ' has sometimes been used as a label for new religious movements . Thus Eli Shapiro ( 1977 ) itemizes several features which are supposedly characteristic of the ' destruc- tive cult ' : total ...
Page 25
... criticism , nevertheless openly affirm the historical doctrines of the Christian Church , and hence are presumed to possess the means of salvation . Although it is important for evangelical Christians to draw a distinction between ...
... criticism , nevertheless openly affirm the historical doctrines of the Christian Church , and hence are presumed to possess the means of salvation . Although it is important for evangelical Christians to draw a distinction between ...
Page 28
... critics and indeed many academics often allow . Rather than classify religions crudely into these three categories , it would be more accurate to say that all religions possess world - affirming , world - renouncing and world ...
... critics and indeed many academics often allow . Rather than classify religions crudely into these three categories , it would be more accurate to say that all religions possess world - affirming , world - renouncing and world ...
Page 41
... Critics will regard this as sinister , while more sympathetic commentators suggest that Jones was simply being astute : after all , visitors from the media were not on Jones's side , and could do much to give the community negative ...
... Critics will regard this as sinister , while more sympathetic commentators suggest that Jones was simply being astute : after all , visitors from the media were not on Jones's side , and could do much to give the community negative ...
Contents
1 | |
33 | |
3 The old new religions | 77 |
4 The New Christian movements | 120 |
5 New religions in the Hindu tradition | 164 |
6 New forms of Buddhism | 204 |
7 Independent new religions | 244 |
8 The Human Potential Movement | 278 |
9 New Age witchcraft and Paganism | 315 |
10 The countercult movement | 342 |
Statistical data | 366 |
Compendium | 370 |
Bibliography | 377 |
Index | 392 |
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Common terms and phrases
anti-cult Applewhite avatar Baba Baba's Baha'i Baha'u'llah baptism became become believed Bible body Brahma Kumaris Britain Buddha Buddhism ceremony Christ Chryssides Church of Scientology claim counter-cult cult Dalai Lama death devotees Dianetics disciples divine doctrines Dorje Shugden Erhard evangelical example existence faith Family Findhorn followers founder-leader Glastonbury God's gohonzons groups Hindu Hinduism Holy human important ISKCON Jehovah's Witnesses Jesus Army Jesus Fellowship Church Jones Jonestown Jouret known Krishna latihan Latter-day Saints leader lifestyle living Maharishi mainstream Christianity Mambro mantra marriage means meditation membership messiah mind mission Mormon Nichiren Nichiren Shoshu NRMs offer one's organization original Osho physical powers Prabhupada practice priesthood problems prophet Rajneesh Rastafarians regarded relationship religion religious movements Revelation Sangharakshita sannyasins scripture sect seminars sexual Society Soka Gakkai Solar Temple soul spiritual Subud Subuh taught teachings Tibetan tradition truth Unification Church Wicca worship